Pocketables

New online benchmarks suggest faster Galaxy Nexus, possibly destined for Sprint

Online benchmark results are quickly becoming a favorite place for users to look for evidence of new devices, and rightly so. It only takes one slip up for a new device to accidentally show up in the test results, and when it does you often get some nice specs to go along with it. Such is the case with today's discovery, a mysterious benchmark from a Galaxy Nexus which appears to be running an updated GPU which also handily outperforms the current device.

According to NenaMark's GPU benchmark top ten list for the Galaxy Nexus, an anonymous tester benchmarked a Galaxy Nexus with a PowerVR SGX544 GPU. This GPU is actually the upgraded version of the SGX 540 in the current device, but it provides a vast performance improvement over the previous version. The GPU is usually paired with an upgraded 1.8GHz processor as well, but for this benchmark it appears that it was either underclocked or a different configuration was used.

Some seem to think this benchmark is indicative of a Galaxy Nexus "Plus" to be released by Google, but it seems more likely to me that it is actually an upgraded Galaxy Nexus for Sprint, which is currently slated for release sometime in the near future. There is, however, a third option, which is that someone simply faked the benchmark. This is always possible of course, but I really hope it isn't the case. The dated GPU in the Galaxy Nexus is one of the major setbacks of the device, so an upgraded device on the last unlimited carrier would definitely turn some consumer's heads.

[NenaMark via Android and Me]

Samsung announces Android 4.0 availability for Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note

2011 was a great year for Samsung. The South Korean company released the Galaxy S II line of Android smartphones and the Galaxy Note phoneblet, both of which are highly regarded as some of the best Android devices on the market. And Samsung today announced that they will be getting even better soon with Ice Cream Sandwich.

The official Norwegian Samsung Facebook page was the source of the news today, and the status update stated that the roll-out of Ice Cream Sandwich will be complete by the end of Q1 of 2012. That's about two months away at the moment, but at least the company has given us a timeframe in which to expect the update. 

I'm glad that Samsung is being a little more open about software updates. I think we can all remember the whole debacle over the original Galaxy S' software updates, so it looks like Samsung is trying to gain back a little respect from the tech community.

[PocketDroid]

HTC Ville poses for the video camera, shows off hardware and software

 

HTC has already stated that its going to cut down on the amount of devices it releases and focus on quality products this year, and I am fairly certain that they company has already started with that philosophy. The video above shows off the HTC Ville, a high-end smartphone coming at some point this year.

The smartphone manufacturer managed to pack quite a few quality specs inside the small 8mm chassis. For instance, the Ville will sport a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and an 8MP camera on the back. The screen is of the 4.3-inch variety with qHD (960 x 540) resolution.

The Ville should be shown off at Mobile World Congress, which is just a month away. Honestly though, I'd be more excited if this phone had a quad-core processor in it. Still, judging by the video, it looks to be pretty decent, anyway. 

[HTC-Hub via GottaBeMobile]

Amazon's Kindle Fire owns a third of the Android tablet market

We have recently seen various measurements that claim the Kindle Fire is becoming quite popular, but due to Amazon's reluctance to ever release numbers we didn't know quite how popular. So, it came as something of a surprise when research firm Flurry released their numbers on the tablet's adoption over the holidays.

According to their data, drawn from application installations, the Fire jumped up 33 percentage points in two months to claim a market share tie with Samsung's Galaxy Tab line. As the Galaxy line consists of all of Samsung's tablets, from 7-inch to 10.1-inch, this is quite an accomplishment. However, while it looks in these graphs that the Fire is eating up Samsung's market share, in fact the Android tablet market has simply grown over the holidays, albeit thanks mostly to the Fire.

The Kindle's growth has been attributed mostly to its dirt cheap $199 price, which is certainly a big part of why people like it. Still, even though I personally wasn't fond of it, I think that Amazon's superb integration and focus on content and user experience got people interested who would have never considered an Android tablet otherwise.

There is no doubt that the Kindle Fire is contributing greatly to the rise of the 7-inch tabs, but the long term effects of Amazon's experiment are still unclear. The customized UI and experience may be winning over users now, but the fragmentation of the Android platform has the potential to cause problems later on.

[Flurry via Ars Technica]

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 update to roll out on February 17th?

The BlackBerry PlayBook is coming up on its first birthday. In that time, its parent (company) RIM has been through a lot. Between hiring a new CEO and the lawsuits and delays that have gone on with RIM, I'm surprised that the company is still around. It's seriously had some issues through the past year, but I'm hoping that the new management can completely turn that around. 

Speaking of turning things around, remember that PlayBook OS 2.0 update that was delayed? Well, if you own a PlayBook, I've got some good news for you: rumor has it that the update will start to roll out on February 17th. 

Of course, all of the rumored dates have been in February anyway, but since the 17th is mid-month, I'd place my money there. That way, you'll be surprised if it's sooner, but not too disappointed if it's later; it would only be an 11 day wait, anyway. 

I really hope it's the former situation. It would be a great way for Thorsten Heins to regain the confidence of consumers and potential RIM customers. If it's the latter, then he'll have one more chance to redeem both himself and the company: BlackBerry 10.

[CrackBerry]

KDE Plasma Active unveils $265 Spark tablet

As awesome as Android is, sometimes it's really nice and refreshing to see a device with another open-source platform installed. Today brings us one of those refreshing devices: the Spark tablet. For $265, the Spark will give you a 1GHz processor with a Mali 400 GPU, 512MB of RAM, 4G of internal storage, and a 7-inch capacitive screen.

Of course, the Spark tablet isn't just about its specs. What makes this device stand out from the crowd is its software. Like the title of this posts says, the KDE Plasma Active team is involved with the Spark project, and because of that, the tablet will run Linux with the team's free software distribution platform.

The platform for software distribution is completely community-driven and open. That's more than a few other platforms can say already, and at just $265, I think it's a fantastic deal. It looks unique and also supports open platforms and has a sense of community. I love that in technology, so I am a huge fan of this already. 

[Aseigo Blog]

Microsoft to give Windows 8 ARM beta to developers in February

I don't know about any of you guys, but I am so pumped for the release of Windows 8. For me, the wait for it is almost as excruciatingly agonizing as the wait for any holiday morning for a child.

Luckily, time keeps going and we're always creeping closer to Windows 8's release date. The newest report of this is about the Windows 8 ARM beta. As you all know, my favorite addition Microsoft made to Windows 8 is ARM support, which opens up the possibility for small, UMPC-like tablets and gadgets. According to this new report, Windows 8 on ARM is now stable, meaning that the beta can start to roll out to developers so they can start to write their apps for the new architecture and operating system. 

So, given the fact that small tablets are insanely popular with consumers nowadays and that Windows 8 on ARM is stable, I believe UMPCs can make a strong comeback with consumers. And like we've seen with Windows Phone 7, there should be a wide selection of different form factors and styles to fit everyone's needs while still providing a killer experience. 

[CNET]

AT&T Galaxy Note is finally official, coming February 19 for $300

We've had plenty of things lead up to this, but finally Samsung has made their official announcement on the availability of the AT&T branded US Galaxy Note. The massive phoneblet will be up for preorder next Sunday for shipping by the 15th, and out in stores on February 19th for the price of $300.

To go along with this 5.3-inch HD powerhouse, AT&T is also releasing a number of accessories, like a desktop dock, a special holder for the S Pen, and a flip case. However, most users will just be happy that the Note has finally made its way to a US carrier with the all important subsidized price. 

With a dual-core processor, huge 720p display, and the interesting S Pen technology like the HTC Flyer, the Note is definitely a good deal at $300. If it had Ice Cream Sandwich, it would be a sure buy over almost anything on the market right now, but even with Gingerbread it is one of the best devices currently available. It should be interesting to see how the US market reacts to this more MID-like smartphone, but I'm sure there are already some gadget fans lining up for the preorder.

[TechCrunch]

DMCA exemption on rooting will expire soon, EFF requests action

Although there are many gadget users know what rooting and jailbreaking are, only a few are likely aware of the legal implications of the act. Up until 2010, unlocking your device in any way was technically a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, and could carry stiff penalties if you were convicted. Fortunately, in 2010 an exemption to the law was added that made unlocking the devices that you own completely legal.

However, that exemption is set to expire in the near future, which would mean that rooting would go back to being a crime. Even though I'm sure users don't want to commit crimes, the ability freely to modify the devices you own at your own discretion certainly seems like a right that you should have.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation feels the same way, and has set up a page where users can comment on the situation directly through the Copyright office. In addition to asking that the exemption be renewed, the EFF is also hoping to get things like tablets and game consoles explicitly included in the ruling. 

As I'm sure you all want to keep your right to use the devices you own, I urge you to follow the source link to the EFF's page and do your part to make sure rooting stays as legal as it should be.

[EFF via Good and Evo]

ZTE V66 Verizon Android tablet passes through FCC

If ZTE's Sprint-capable Optik tablet didn't hit your technological sweet tooth for whatever reason, the company has an alternative. It's called the V66 (probably a codename); while we've seen its overall shape before, we now have a colorful picture to show what the front will look like thanks to a Bluetooth filing.

If you need a refresher on this device's specs, here they are: it will come with a 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, Android 3.2, a 7-inch capacitive 1280 x 800 display, and a 4000mAh battery. 

Since it's a Verizon tablet, it will be able to connect to Verizon's network. It's also a 4G tablet, so expect to get some relatively fast speeds when you're in a Verizon LTE area. 

Unfortunately, as with other FCC filings, pricing and release dates are still unknown to us. I wouldn't be surprised to see something about this at Mobile World Congress, but who knows when it will actually be released and available for purchase. Any guesses?

[Android Community]